


First Coat

by SoldierBorn87



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Abusive John Winchester, Gender Dysphoria, Nail Polish, Sam Winchester (mentioned) - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-22
Updated: 2015-09-22
Packaged: 2018-04-22 20:49:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4850063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoldierBorn87/pseuds/SoldierBorn87
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean’s in the pharmacy stocking up on first aide supplies after a bad run-in with a ghoul, when he sees the display. It’s small, but the colours are so vivid he can’t help being drawn to it. It advertises two bottles of nail polish for $5 or three for $7 when you buy the same brand of nail polish remover.</p>
            </blockquote>





	First Coat

Dean’s in the pharmacy stocking up on first aide supplies after a bad run-in with a ghoul, when he sees the display. It’s small, but the colours are so vivid he can’t help being drawn to it. It advertises two bottles of nail polish for $5 or three for $7 when you buy the same brand of nail polish remover.

Dean hesitates. He knows he should turn away, knows it’s wrong – sick, his dad would say – to want something so girly, but he can’t. He bites his lip and remembers being in grade school and being so jealous of the girls on the playground who would paint each other’s nails and coo over how beautiful they each looked.

He’d wanted that. He’d wanted to sit with them, get his nails painted, and have them coo over how beautiful he looked too. He’d wanted it with such a fierce ache that he’d almost gone over to ask them if he could join once. He’d been maybe twelve at the time and the only thing that had stopped him was his father’s voice in his head, telling him he shouldn’t bother making friends since they wouldn’t be staying long. 

Well that, and the memory of his father slapping him the last time he expressed an interest in something only girls were supposed to want. 

He’d been six and thought it’d be nice to have some barrettes to keep his hair out of his eyes while he did his chores. His father had told him barrettes were for girls and if his hair was bothering him then they would get it cut. Dean didn’t understand why only girls got to have pretty things like barrettes and dresses and pink shoes and… his father had slapped him.

He’d told Dean very sternly that he was a boy and the next day Dean had gotten his hair cut and he’d never been allowed to grow it out again.

But his dad’s been gone for almost six months now. Hunting on his own and feeding Dean the occasional job here or there. Just enough to keep him busy, though not nearly enough to keep him from missing Sammy and the way things were before he took off for college.

Dean hates Sam a little for that. For abandoning him. For leaving him to deal with dad’s anger. For being strong enough to go after what he wants.

“Hey, can I help you?”

Dean startles and looks at the sales clerk that’s managed to sneak up on him. 

“Sorry,” she smiles, tucking some of her long, blond hair behind one ear. “You just looked a little lost.”

“I, uh…”

“It’s a good brand, if you’re wondering. Durable. Good shine. I use it myself. Your girlfriend will love it.”

“Ah, it’s for my sister actually,” Dean finds himself saying.

“Oh? What colours does she like?”

Dean scans the bottles in the display. There’s a light pink one that he really likes and a dark green one that looks interesting.

“Blue,” he says, thinking of Sam. “But I’m not sure that would suit her.”

“How close is her colouring to yours?”

“Um, pretty close.”

“Then…” The sales clerk looks over the display. “How about this one?” She says holding up the pink one he liked. “Or… Are her eyes the same colour as yours?”

“Y-yeah,” Dean stammers, not sure why he’s continuing this farce. Honestly, he should just drop his bandages and get out of here.

“Then this one would also be a good choice,” she says, holding up a pale green one. “It would match her eyes.”

Dean takes the green bottle and examines the colour. He doesn’t like it as much as the pink, but it’s not bad and it’s not like he knows anything about nail polish anyway. Who is he to say which is better?

“Which one do you like better?” he asks.

“I like them both, but if I had to pick one it’d be the pink. Can’t go wrong with pink.”

Dean swallows, turning the green bottle over in his hand. Is he really considering this? Seriously?

“But of course with the sale, you can get both.”

Dean nods and decides if Sam can be strong enough to go for what he wants then so can he. 

“I think she’s out of remover as well. What would you recommend for a third colour?”

**Author's Note:**

> As always, Ruby is a goddess and made all of this possible through her constant encouragements and ruthless editing. Thanks, Babe.


End file.
